Anti-EU group beats British PM's party into third place in vote

May 02, 2013|Reuters

LONDON, May 3 (Reuters) - Britain's opposition Labour partywon an election for a single parliamentary seat in northernEngland on Friday, but the anti-European Union UK IndependenceParty (UKIP) came second, pushing Prime Minister David Cameron'sConservatives into third place.

The result underlined the threat that UKIP, which wantsBritain to leave the EU and an end to "open-door immigration",poses to the Conservatives and other parties ahead of a nationalelection in 2015 and could renew pressure on Cameron'sleadership.

Attracting 5,988 votes, UKIP won 24 percent of the vote,more than double the Conservatives, notching up its second bestresult in a parliamentary by-election.

"It shows us we're a party on a trajectory and that we'regoing places," Paul Nuttall, UKIP's deputy leader, told BBC TVafter the vote. "People are voting for us because we've won thearguments on immigration and the EU."

Labour, which had controlled the seat for South Shieldssince 1935, had been expected to win, but saw its majoritysharply cut to just over 50 percent on a low turnout. TheLiberal Democrat party, Cameron's junior coalition partner, wonso few votes it lost its deposit.

Labour's victory was announced ahead of the results of localelections in more than 2,000 council seats in England and Waleslater on Friday. UKIP is also expected to do well in that vote.